Christmas Day.........

This year we had a real tree. They are not fir trees, they are small pine trees grown to look like Christmas fir trees. In NZ you go to a paddock (no fields here!)and choose your tree, put your name on a tag and fix it to the tree. Then you go back and collect your tree when you're ready. They chop it down and load it into the car. The branches are not as strong as fir tree's so most of our decorations are too heavy, this is our tree!!


Today, Christmas day we went to Ocean Beach. The weather wasn't as good as it has been, it was really windy. The wind was coming straight off the sea!! The lifeguards had their hut set up and their flags out (only swim between the flags!). Louise was the only one to venture into the water!!



We'd had enough!



Relaxing in the dunes!



There's nothing better than relaxing by the sea with an ice cream on a warm, sunny Christmas Day!!

A few days in Wellington!

We spent the weekend in Wellington. The weather on Saturday and Sunday was wet and windy!! On Saturday we shopped (the kids did we did bag carrying!) On Sunday we spent most of the day at the museum...

Wellington from the harbour front.......

Lots of strange things to see .....

Lots of carvings.....


Time for tea and cappuccinos... (rare picture of me!)

Louise as always seems to find a furry friend!

On Monday we drove out of Wellington via the Rimutaka Hills...Very twisty, windy road, nice views at the top and clean fresh air...


We stopped for refreshments at the Tui brewery...


And then onwards to Napier and collect the dogs from the Kennels...

Big Kids on swings!

School holidays down the beach........




My turn!

Classic Open Air Concert...

Saturday night we went to an Open air concert. It was 'Classics at Sunset' with the Hawke's Bay Orchestra held at the Black Barn (vineyard) Amphitheatre. The idea is to take a chair, bean bag, picnic etc and enjoy the music and performances. The theme for the night was Russian composers.




Dances from Nutcracker....



After Sunset........


And huge fireworks at the end of the evening.........